Dhoni all set to cope with the heat of expectations in today's match against England
Dhoni all set to cope with the heat of expectations in today's match against England
If you want to win the World Cup, you've got to have plenty of steel.u00a0 Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who probably holds the second-most high-pressure job after the Prime Minister in the country, knows this only too well.
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| Indian cricketers in a huddle during their WC warm-up match in Chennai on February 16. PIC/AFP |
On the eve of the second league tie against England, India's first major encounter in the World Cup, Dhoni said that despite the contrasting starts the two teams have had, it still boiled down to how his side handled the 'P' word.
"Of course, we had a good start in the opening game, where we batted really well and after that the spinners did a good job in the middle overs. But I think it's about the team that will start well and hold the nerves for a consistent period of time," said Dhoni on Saturday.
The skipper was emphatic that the Indians were used to carrying the burden of a billion people's expectations.
"Since I made my debut in 2004, I have never played a series where we have not been under pressure, whether it might be winning the game easily or playing againstu00a0 tough opponents," he said.
"Most of the guys are used to it, after especially having been part of the IPL as you have to perform under pressure for the franchisee. Pressure goes hand-in-hand with the Indian team."
15 years ago...Dhoni's predecessor Mohammed Azharuddin would stand testimony to Dhoni's statement. For, at this very venue 15 years ago, the Indians kept their cool to outsmart arch-rivals Pakistan in the quarter-finals of the 1996 edition.
Weather is a concern as unseasonal rains hit the city on Friday, although the forecast for today is clear skies. But Dhoni didn't want to hazard a guess.
"It's tough to exactly forecast the weather as we saw in South Africa recently. There was 80 per cent chance of rain but not a drop fell, and after that we had 20 per cent chance of rain and it rained the whole day. So we will have a look at the wicket and the conditions at the start of the game and will plan accordingly," he said.
India had a successful outing in the warm-up match against Australia at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium with Piyush Chawla starring with a four-wicket haul. But Dhoni suggested that the leggie, who warmed the bench in Dhaka, might have to wait to make his Cup debut.
"It's a tough one because if you play just two seamers, your bowling becomes quite similar. Of course, we have variations when it comes to spin department but if we play three seamers and one spinner then the part-timers can also do the job. So, let's see," Dhoni said.
